Give Credit, Take The Blame
I had a chance to contribute to a Databox post on the best way to deliver bad news to your boss or client.
Here’s what I had to say:
Never try to blame circumstances, bad luck, or anyone else. Accept responsibility, apologize, and lay out your plan for correcting the situation.
Provide regular status reports that include unforeseen developments, unexpected problems, delays, etc, and any other signs of trouble brewing. By keeping people informed, you at least prevent bad news from coming as a shock. The first rule of business: no surprises.
Alexander Porter notes that blaming someone else isn’t a wise long-term strategy. Because even if you do convince your boss or client that someone else was to blame, “will anyone want to work with you after that?”
“As long as you hold onto the mantra of ‘Give credit and take blame,’ you’ll always be trusted to have another go when the boss needs someone to step up.”
Whatever you do, stay away from the notorious “Mistakes were made,” a favorite of American politicians ever since President Ulysses S. Grant appended a note to his final annual report to Congress in 1876, acknowledging the scandals that had plagued his two terms in office with the words, “Mistakes have been made, as all can see and I admit.”
You could also consider using a little self-deprecating humor to admit a mistake. William Safire tells this story about former New York City mayor (1934-45) Fiorello La Guardia:
A disarmingly honest way of admitting error was shown (by La Guardia) who was criticized in the 1940s for closing the elite Townsend Harris High School: “I don’t make many mistakes, but when I make one it’s a beaut!”
It takes the wind out of the sails of criticism.
The worst news I’ve ever had to deliver was to Jay Moye when he was editor of Coca-Cola Journey, the company’s former social media hub.
Jay offered me an assignment and I had to explain that my old iMac had died and taken my copy of Photoshop with it. Fortunately, I had a plan and the story had a happy ending. I’ll always be grateful to Jay for his confidence in me.
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About Mark: I’m an illustrator specializing in humor, branding, social media, and content marketing. My images are different, like your brand needs to be.
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Mark Armstrong Illustration Specializing In Content Marketing Advertising Editorial Infographics Animation Videos and Social Media 
As always, you are one smart man! Good advice all around. It’s been a long time since I’ve been in the corporate world and had to take the blame, but I hope I handled it well when I did. I was always happy to give credit where due.
Now that I’m my own boss, I take ALL the credit. Blame comes in the form of what happened today … I ate an entire plate of jalapeno poppers, and I can only blame myself for killing my stomach. I wonder if following up with a pint of ice cream will put out the fire?
Hope all is well with you, dear Mark!
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A plate of jalapeno poppers?? 🔥🔥🔥___🚑💨 My dear Maddie!!– yer lucky to be alive!! Well, you were always a reckless sort… 😅
I’m sure you were the epitome of graciousness when you were a corporate woman, as you are today when you’re an author woman!
All well here, hoping you can say the same (well, perhaps except for your stomach)– pass the ice cream!! 🍨🍨🍨😋💦
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Good article Mark. Only problem is… what if you’re the boss too!?
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HAW!! You would think of that, amigo!! Alas, if you’re your own boss, ya gotta take two lightning shots– one for the dope inna trenches what made the goof, and one for the boss that wasn’t supervising him closely enough. And I speak from sad experience!! 😢😆💦
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